Expensive Decoys

I consider myself in the poor/low income category of waterfowlers(and people in general), but spend more on waterfowling than most, only outdone by those who are in the rich category. I go out more days than most of any income category. It's what I love to do. One of my biggest bills is fuel up and down the roads. I wouldn't want my wife to know it, but I spend 3-5k on gas alone going on hunts during a given hunting season, but I cover a lot of ground too, and I enjoy hunting different areas. I spend a lot on leases/clubs. I spend a lot on shells. I spend a lot on decoys. I've spent a lot on guns. I've spent a lot on clothes and waders and boots, and will again. I have camo for every terrain. If I had more money then I would spend even more, on all of it. I've given up a lot of other things I would like to do because I can't afford those things and to maintain my hunting budget. If the thousands I spend put a few more flocks feet down in the dekes than I would've had without spending a penny, then I am still a happy man despite the expense. I guess I am the perfect customer.

I respect those who do it on the cheap. I have left all the gear at home and shot limits sitting on the X without a blind or decoy at all because I knew I didn't need them, then gone somewhere else the next day and been skunked sitting in 200 premium dekes and a $320 layout. But I can't hunt that X every day and expect it to produce, and when I am not on it I want every advantage that I can have. I love to kill birds when others don't. It makes the money spent worth it to me.

And I love to go north and kill birds late season. They are SO much easier than late season birds down south! Most Yankees don't know how to hide(there are exceptions).

Live and let live. If you don't want to spend then don't. I am building an all hand carved spread now that I am not carving. Each deke could be a dozen premium plastics. It's what I want for open water heavy seas. It will make me happy. I hope. Time will tell.

And hot buys were originally a loss leader. They weren't making money, they were getting their name out there. It costs as much to get them here as it does to make them, and more to advertise the brand.

Mpkowal-----how did you manage to get rid of all the wives, that you said are dead?
Did they just die, or did you help them along?
I agree, tho----no other vices or hobbies, & why not spend on what makes a ducker happy !

Mpkowal-----how did you manage to get rid of all the wives, that you said are dead?
Did they just die, or did you help them along?
I agree, tho----no other vices or hobbies, & why not spend on what makes a ducker happy !

Ringbill

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Well the good one died from Cancer,my kids mom started on drugs so I took the jigs from her and raised them on my oen,best job I ever had.She ended dying from Cancer also.I just left the first two,to many temptations in Las Vegas I guess.
I have some friends trying to get me hooked up with a waitress ,I guess they don't like to see me happy.

While I've got several different full rigs of decoys for various applications, (Including new Avians, GHG, Dakotas),
I'm also running a vintage heritage set at a few blinds I shot ducks with my dad, 50---60 years ago.
There are old Victors & Herters. Herters #72s ran $2.50 & the #63s were $1.50 apiece.
I've patched & painted these 50 year old blocks, & re-rigged them too. We shoot ducks over them every season.

I'm up in northern MINNIE, & we get lots of nice migrants that decoy well. We also get our share of stale ducks, that
are decoy shy & tough to lure into range. Some of the Ringers, are THE worst, hard as it may be to believe.

It wasn't a good thing to try to joke about ----I must've had my head up my ***, Mike. Sorry, man.
Tough things in life for sure & tremendous of you to step up & raise those kids----very upstanding !
Don't let your friends deter you from what makes YOU happy. If you like her company, enjoy it & smile.
I'm doing the same, tho my gal is retired like me---very nice!

I know it's been talked about and know it isn't going to change anytime soon. But the price of decoys are ridiculous and they're resale value is crazy as well. I'm a big component of the free market. But the raw material and overseas manufacturing is so cheap to be charging these prices. Someone has to come out with a decently priced decoys. $300+ per dozen is insane. Everyone is always going crazy over REALISM. You realize people kill geese over silhouette (literally pictures of birds on a stick) and even trash bags. I'm blessed to have a good paying job. But I don't know how the average hunter does it. I hate spending that much money on principle

Alright I'm done crying. But I'm still mad

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Benghazi. People died. Obama lied. It will be easier to limit and undo obama's damage than to give good judgement and common sense to people willing to have such as him as their president.

I consider myself in the poor/low income category of waterfowlers(and people in general), but spend more on waterfowling than most, only outdone by those who are in the rich category. I go out more days than most of any income category. It's what I love to do. One of my biggest bills is fuel up and down the roads. I wouldn't want my wife to know it, but I spend 3-5k on gas alone going on hunts during a given hunting season, but I cover a lot of ground too, and I enjoy hunting different areas. I spend a lot on leases/clubs. I spend a lot on shells. I spend a lot on decoys. I've spent a lot on guns. I've spent a lot on clothes and waders and boots, and will again. I have camo for every terrain. If I had more money then I would spend even more, on all of it. I've given up a lot of other things I would like to do because I can't afford those things and to maintain my hunting budget. If the thousands I spend put a few more flocks feet down in the dekes than I would've had without spending a penny, then I am still a happy man despite the expense. I guess I am the perfect customer.

I respect those who do it on the cheap. I have left all the gear at home and shot limits sitting on the X without a blind or decoy at all because I knew I didn't need them, then gone somewhere else the next day and been skunked sitting in 200 premium dekes and a $320 layout. But I can't hunt that X every day and expect it to produce, and when I am not on it I want every advantage that I can have. I love to kill birds when others don't. It makes the money spent worth it to me.

And I love to go north and kill birds late season. They are SO much easier than late season birds down south! Most Yankees don't know how to hide(there are exceptions).

Live and let live. If you don't want to spend then don't. I am building an all hand carved spread now that I am not carving. Each deke could be a dozen premium plastics. It's what I want for open water heavy seas. It will make me happy. I hope. Time will tell.

And hot buys were originally a loss leader. They weren't making money, they were getting their name out there. It costs as much to get them here as it does to make them, and more to advertise the brand.

That is all.

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Benghazi. People died. Obama lied. It will be easier to limit and undo obama's damage than to give good judgement and common sense to people willing to have such as him as their president.

back when i was a kid, and Methusalah was still in knee pants, we didn't know store-bought decoys from sick'em. most of our decoys were homemade out of tow sack material or. in the case of shallow water ducks, frequently just a pile of mud shaped to resemble a duck's silouette. and think we got just about as many ducks with those mud-pile dekes as we get with the expensive dekes avaliable these days. pretty dekes may pull more ducks on big open water, but up in the sloughs and woods, just a shape or a shadow will sometimes work pretty good.

Benghazi. People died. Obama lied. It will be easier to limit and undo obama's damage than to give good judgement and common sense to people willing to have such as him as their president.